North Carolinians can now bet on sporting events online.
Eight online and mobile sports betting platforms launched Monday at noon. The law that legalizes sports betting in North Carolina requires each to have a license to operate in the state a cost of $1 million.
For weeks, those operators have been offering incentives for sports betters to sign up with their services. Anyone 21 or older can make a bet.
Tax proceeds from sports betting will go toward gambling addiction treatment programs, grants for amateur athletes, and athletic departments at the state's public universities except for UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State.
In a statement released Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper said he placed a bet on the Carolina Hurricanes to win the NHL's Stanley Cup.
"The legalization of sports betting will provide a significant boost to North Carolina’s economy and will allow our thriving sports industry to continue to grow," Cooper said.
State law directs $2 million of sports betting taxes to the state Department of Health and Human Services, which has a "Problem Gambling Program."
East Carolina University criminal justice professor Michelle Malkin told WUNC's Due South that sports betting brings with it the risk of addiction and debt.
"There is no limit on most of these apps on how many different forms of payment an individual can include," Malkin explained. "So an individual can include, so a person can keep chasing losses, trying to get a big enough win so that they can pay off all the debt they've now caused by their gambling."
State law allows players to use credit cards as well as debit cards or bank drafts to add money to their sports betting accounts.
Both professional and college sports are open for bets. The launch comes a day before the first round of the ACC men's basketball tournament.
